Conservatives were on top of the money game in 2015

The Liberals were outpaced in fundraising and spending by the Conservatives in 2015, although they won the federal election and ultimately outspent the Tories in the writ period, according to newly released annual financial statements from political parties.

The Liberals, who trumpeted their 2015 fundraising gains as the “strongest year ever for grassroots contributions to the party,” received $21,276,897.57 in fundraising dollars, while the Conservatives still netted more, a total of $29,024,815.

The Tories also outpaced them in number of donors, at 118,253 compared to 93,426. The Greens brought in $4,491,542 in fundraising dollars, from 33,129 people.

Total Conservative ad spending for the year reached $27,299,831, while the Liberals shelled out $25,829,827 total on ads.

For a marathon election year, parties also opened up their wallets like never before in recent memory.

The Liberals spent $61,972,550 in aggregate – which includes everything from polling and advertising to office space and staff salaries – while the Conservatives spent $75,108,170, and Green spending reached $9,849,370. The year prior, for comparison, the Conservatives only spent $25,190,038, and then compared to the previous election year, 2011, they spent $48,407,571.

The Liberals ultimately spent $7 million more than they made in revenue, while the Conservatives spent $22 million more than they brought in. The Liberals, though, borrowed more in 2015, totaling $40,000,000 in loans, while the Conservatives took out one $28,500,000 loan.

Parties also received a good deal in election reimbursements. The Liberals received $30,287,609 back in government and election rebates, while the Conservatives reported they collected $21,679,784 in government transfers, which will add to the pile of total government election expenses.

NDP and Bloc results have yet to be posted to the Elections Canada website, and those details might not be known for a while yet. The NDP has asked for an extension until August 29 to submit its results, according to Elections Canada.